


in the strangest locations

by dizzy



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 12:29:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15663249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dizzy/pseuds/dizzy
Summary: Dan's first week on the job. (A prequel toCelebration.)





	in the strangest locations

**Author's Note:**

> Written for waveydnp.

The basement office smells of stale air and weirdly sweet, like the smell of Dan's grandmother's car when he'd leave a bag of sweets open in the summertime and they'd all melt together into a sticky sugar lump. 

"Hello?" Dan calls out. His heart is tap-tap-tapping fast in his chest, the queasy beat of anxiety he can't shake in situations like this. His whole life so far has been about pushing past and working around this feeling, trying not to let it defeat him. It's the voice in the back of his mind and the sweat underneath his collar and the butterflies in his stomach. He's wondering if maybe this is the wrong office after all, or maybe it's the right office but his new partner isn't around, or maybe he-

"Oh, hi! You must be Dan!" A person pops out from behind a closed doorway. He's wearing a suit but there's a stain on his tie and one leg of his pants are rucked up enough that Dan can see a bright green sock, definitely not bureau standard. "Howell, I mean. Dan Howell?" 

"Yeah," Dan says, holding out a hand. "And you're Lester?" 

"Call me Phil," his new partner says, and closes Dan's fingers in the grip of his own. "It's nice to finally meet you." 

* 

Phil Lester is also British. 

Dan had known that going in. He'd read Lester's - Phil's - file and then done what any millennial worth his salt does, and googled the fuck out of him. He knows where he's from and that he's got dual citizenship and that he likes leaving sometimes scathing hotel reviews. 

He knows that Phil's last partner requested a transfer away from him, but the part of the file that listed why had been redacted. He's intensely curious; was being stuck with someone fresh out of Quantico a punishment for Phil? 

Or was it a test for Dan? 

If it was, he's not really sure what it's mean to accomplish because he's known Phil Lester for all of a day and all he has to show for it is a full belly - Phil values his lunch break and also values company while he takes it - and a growing sense of admiration for a man who seems to have been given the total shit end of the stick in terms of bureau assignments and still seems happy as a fucking clam about it. 

* 

It only takes two days for reality to settle in, consequently the same amount of time it takes for them to be given their first assignment as partners. 

"We got a case!" Phil seems elated. "And I think this one got sent down to us especially for you?" 

He slides Dan a folder. Dan picks it up and flips through it. "Phishing? We're investigating... an email fraud scam?" 

"Yep." Phil still looks far too delighted. Dan doesn't get it. "Pacific Northwest. Oregon, I think?" 

"Yeah," Dan mutters a confirmation, still skimming the file. "I don't get it. Shouldn't this be easy to shut down? This looks like your average Nigerian prince bullshit." 

Phil shakes his head. "Keep reading." 

Dan can feel his own brow wrinkling in confusing the more he gets into the file. "What?" He mutters, then a few seconds later more loudly, " _What?_ " 

"Yep." Phil grins. "It's fun, isn't it?" 

"I mean, not if you're one of the people getting ripped off, but... how are they doing this?" Dan flips back to the start to see if he missed anything. "How did manage to phish seventeen high ranking cyber crimes assigned agents?"

Phil shrugs. "That's what we're supposed to figure out." 

*

"So why us?" Dan asks, clipping the buckle of the airplane seatbelt together. 

They're in economy. He's not sure why he's disappointed. When Phil said they were flying out that evening he'd pictured in his head some kind of Mission Impossible scene where they donned full suits and strode into business class wearing their sunglasses. 

Instead Phil's in jeans and a hoodie and Dan feels overdressed in the button up and the same trousers he wore to the office. 

"Because we won't be targets," Phil says. "I've not had any cyber crimes cases, and you're brand new so no one's going to have heard of you. The last three agents they put on the case of this guy all had their security breached before they checked into the motel in Oregon. They think we'll be able to go undetected. We're not technically undercover. We're just - not... overcover? Either? So... you might want to dress a bit less..." 

Phil seems to flounder for a word. 

"No worries," Dan says, face going hot as he feels every bit of his comparative youth and inexperience. "I brought some stuff." 

* 

He didn't actually bring some stuff. 

He sits on the edge of his motel bed, staring at a stain on the carpet. 

("Not much of a budget of us, I'm afraid," Phil had said, standing in the lobby area. It's an open plan, two long flat buildings parallel with doors all facing open air. 

Everything about it feels seedy and cheap. It's not even properly in town, it's on the fringes where things begin to look a bit worn down.) 

He's not sure what the protocol is now. Phil said goodbye to him in the car park, but - what happens next? 

It's only half six. Does he get dinner on his own? 

Does he meet back up with Phil tomorrow? 

Is he meant to be doing something with the case file? 

Why hadn't he fucking asked? 

He has the strange urge to ring his mum just to hear a familiar voice, but he refuses to be the person who needs his mum to tell him that it's alright on his first week of being an actual employed theoretically functional career adult. 

He could go get some clothes so he doesn't look like an idiot when he and Phil meet back up. He's got the keys to the rental car - which Phil, for some reason, put entire trust and faith in Dan to drive even though Dan's only six months past being old enough to legally hire a car to begin with. But what if Phil looks outside and sees the car gone? Should he just take an Uber instead, or call for a taxi? But then what if Phil came to his room and Dan wasn't there but the car was? What if Phil saw him being picked up, or dropped back off? What if-

He stands and starts to pace around the room. His heart is hammering too fast and he's got that queasy-sweaty feeling that he gets when everything starts to become just a bit too much. 

He jumps at the knock on his door. When he opens it, Phil's standing there - still in the same soft looking hoodie with his hair pushed back off his forehead and glasses on, and fuzzy pajama pants from the waist down. "I can't believe it but we forgot to exchange mobile numbers. Also, do you fancy a pizza?" 

"Pizza?" Dan asks.

Phil's smile falters a bit. "Unless you just wanted to do dinner on your own. I just thought-"

"No, pizza's good," Dan quickly says. "We could... talk about the case, too?" 

They hadn't on the plane, of course. Sensitive, classified material. 

Dan assumes. 

"Great!" Phil says, shooting Dan one of those bright smiles. "I'll be back in a few minutes." 

* 

Dan changes into his own pajamas quickly before Phil comes back. 

He can't be sure, having never actually had a partner before, but he's fairly sure pajama pizza parties aren't standard operating protocol on assignments. 

But then Phil is sat cross-legged on the full sized bed chewing on what appears to be half a slice of pizza he just shoved into his mouth in one bite. "Sorry," he says, looking sheepish when he sees Dan staring. "I was really hungry, and this pizza's good." 

It is good, actually, and if Dan can just relax for five goddamn seconds he might enjoy it. Instead his body feels full of jittery energy still. He folds one foot underneath him while the other rests on the floor, foot tap-tap-tapping away. 

Phil pulls out the case files after a few minutes. There's not that much to talk about; they're here to monitor the situation and close in on the suspect once the bureau can get a lock on him. 

"They wanted you," Phil says again, sounding almost proud. 

Dan's not sure why that makes him feel so nice. "Why?" 

"Your computer background," Phil says. "You specialized in profiling hackers, didn't you?" 

"I specialized in whatever meant I got to spend most of my time alone," Dan says. 

It's a bit of unintentional honesty, but it makes Phil laugh so he doesn't think it's that bad. 

"What about you?" Dan asks, taking a bold step forward into casual conversation territory. "What's your specialty?" 

"Linguistics," Phil says. "But I don't do much with it. Translations sometimes, but I'm sort of... I get the cases no one else wants." 

"Like what?" Dan asks, settling back against the headboard. 

"I had to investigate a comedian last year," Phil says. "Because someone reported one of his stand up bits. I had to track him for six months." 

"Was he funny?" Dan asks. 

Phil shakes his head. "Dead boring. All his jobs were about like, sleeping with women and disappointing his mum and sport." 

"Not a fan of sport?" Dan asks. 

"Or disappointing my mum," Phil says. "She gave birth to me, why would I want to call her stupid in front of people? Also she's not stupid. She probably heard me say that, using her mum senses. I wouldn't call you stupid, mum.." 

Dan laughs. "I don't think she can hear you, but I believe you."

He thinks about the third thing Phil said the comedian talked about, and how Phil hadn't mentioned that at all. 

But Phil's probably into women. Most guys are into women. Dan's really got to learn how to stop trying to project non-straightness on every man that talks to him for more than three seconds. 

Especially his new partner at this job that, if all goes well, he'll be at for a very long time. 

*

The rain starts around midnight. 

Phil's been gone for an hour, the pizza demolished and the case discussed and almost another hour of random conversation layered on top of and in between the two. 

It was nice. Like - proper nice, in a way Dan hadn't expected. 

Phil's funny, and kind, and talking to him already makes Dan feel less scared. 

The rain can fuck off, though. It's pounding against the windows, only drowned out every few minutes by massive cracks of thunder. 

He can't take his eyes off the silhouette of trees across the way when the lightning strikes to accompany it. Framed by tall trees and threatening clouds, it looks like the setting of a horror movie out. 

He hates storms at night. He won't sleep much, he already knows. He keeps the light turned on and his laptop up, distracting himself with music until he can't focus anymore and then watching youtube videos of fluffy animals. 

It's fine - it's working. He'll be exhausted the next day, but he lives half his life deprived of adequate sleep. Adrenaline will save the day. It's fine, he's fine. 

And then the power goes out. 

*

He's shivering in front of Phil's hotel room, soaking wet from the dash across the half-full parking lot. 

He doesn't even know what he's going to say when Phil answers. 

That he's a fucking child and he's afraid of the dark? 

He should just pack his shit up right now, go back home and tell everyone he couldn't do it. None of them thought he'd really be able to anyway. Even his nana, his biggest supporter and fan, made sure to tell him at least twice a year that failure's not the end. 

They won't be surprised that he couldn't even hack it a week. 

He feels sick and scared and ridiculous but self preservation kicks in two seconds after he knocks. His stomach lurches and he takes a step back, then another, and starts to walk away. He wishes there were a corner to turn, some way to hide. 

Phil catches him before he gets too far. "Dan?" 

He sounds sleepy. Of course he was asleep. It's fucking one in the morning. 

"Uh." Dan turns around. "The power's out." 

"Oh - wow." Phil frowns and looks behind him. "You're right. I slept through it." 

"Sorry," Dan mumbles. "I'll just-" 

He waves a hand, but just as he starts to walk away again thunder crashes. It's chased by lightning only seconds later, shockingly close. 

Dan shrieks and drops his phone. "Fuck. Fuck!" 

Phil steps out into the rain and grabs Dan's phone for him. There's naked concern in his eyes. "Come inside." 

*

Dan stands dripping in front of Phil's door until Phil comes over with a towel. 

What a fucking mess. He's a fucking mess. 

"Here," Phil says, handing him a bundle of dry clothes. "You can change in the toilet. I always bring extras, anyway." 

Dan slinks into the toilet. Every bit of him is drenched, hair and shirt and pants and socks. He leaves them in a soggy pile on Phil's floor, only keeping his pants on. He can live with that level of dampness. 

When he steps back out, he's got apologies on his tongue but Phil speaks for he even has the chance. 

"It's awful out there." Phil peers out the window. "It's probably good you came over here. My phone's almost dead, I'd only just plugged it in before I slept. Here's yours, by the way. You've got a bit of a scratch in the corner but I tried to clean the mud off." 

"Oh," Dan says. He'd forgotten he'd even dropped it. He takes it from Phil. "Thanks." 

"Did you-" Phil starts to ask something, then stops. "Are you alright?"

His face looks so, so kind. It's almost enough to break Dan. 

"I'm okay," Dan says, nodding more to himself than Phil. "It's just a lot." 

"It is," Phil agrees. He sits down on the bed and pats the spot beside him. "Come on, have a seat. Keep me company until the power comes back. 

Phil wants Dan to keep him company. Phil, who surely can see the state that Dan is in, who can surely see how much Dan is struggling, is asking _Dan_ to keep _him_ company. 

There's not much in the world that he's got any faith in, but in that moment he suddenly finds he has faith that Phil Lester is not going to make him feel as awful as most of the people he suffered through his Academy years with always did. 

*

Dan wakes up with an ache in his neck from sleeping half propped up against the pillow. He's cold - body on top of the blankets of Phil's bed, still wearing Phil's pajamas. 

He looks over. Phil's properly in bed, having apparently gotten under the bedding some time after Dan fell asleep. 

He can't remember how many hours they stayed up talking, but by the time Dan's body did wear itself out the storm had faded off into a light patter of rain and the sun was threatening to come out. They didn't even talk about anything important - their respective childhoods in England, Quantico stories, Phil's seemingly endless recollections of strange and esoteric cases that have been given to him. The last thing he recalls if Phil grilling him on what his mum's dog Colin is like. 

Apparently Phil really, really likes dogs. 

Dan gives him one more look then gingerly gets out of bed and walks into the bathroom, collects his wet clothes, and retreats back to his own motel room. 

*

He gets another three hours of sleep in his own bed before Phil's knocking wakes him up. 

He's prepared for some kind of awkwardness, but instead Phil's fully dressed and smiling brightly. "I hope you've enjoyed our fantastic stay in Oregon." 

"What?" Dan's confused. 

Phil just shrugs. "They got him. They want us back home today."

*

"I can't believe we didn't even have to do anything," Dan says. 

Local police made the arrest, and higher ranking field agents descended to take him in. Now he and Phil are sat on a plane back to DC. 

Dan's full of restless energy, but in a different way than before in the motel room. Now he's just sort of disappointed that this was his first real case and the actual case part was... non-existent. All that hype and nothing to show for it. He wants a refund on the amount of emotional energy he's spent anticipating this. 

Phil shrugs. "Sometimes assignments are just like that. It's not really like it is on television. Sometimes the agent who saves the day is behind a computer on the other side of the country. Is that... what you wanted, though? Excitement and like, guns and stuff?" 

"Not really," Dan admits. "The guns freak me out." 

He's still wearing Phil's extra hoodie from the night before. It's cozy, and he firmly pushes away that faintly giddy feeling inside that comes with wearing the clothes of an attractive man that he is rapidly realizing he mind find himself liking quite a lot. 

He also pushes away the memory of Phil asleep in bed beside him. He's probably straight, Dan thinks. He probably thinks Dan is straight too. He's only got room in his head for one crisis, and not being an embarrassment as a special agent has to take precedence right now. 

Phil is giving him one of those pleasantly surprised looks. "Me too," he says. "I'm also really bad at them. I'm a horrible shot. My last partner - he requested off me. Thought I was, I believe the exact words were, a fucking weirdo who has no place in the bureau." 

Dan looks at Phil. He can see right away that Phil's struggling a bit with what he's saying. 

"Jesus," Dan says. 

Phil shrugs a bit, just a lift of one shoulder. "I don't try to be, but I suppose maybe I am. So if you want... if it doesn't end up... working out. It's alright. You do have options, they won't - they wouldn't question it, I think, if you wanted to transfer away." 

"No." The pang of emotion Dan feels is as solid as a punch. He meets Phil's gaze directly and says, with almost a note of defiance in his voice, "I think this is going to work out just fine."


End file.
